Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. BABCOCK, OF WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN CA R-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 51,8Ql, dated June 9, 1874; application filed I May 19', 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES H. BABoocK, of Westport, `in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvementin Car-Coupling; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

`*Figure l, a front view, the parts set preparatory to coupling; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 3, a view from the under side, looking up; and in Fig. 4, a vertical section on line a: x.

This invention relates to the construction of a device for coupling railway-cars, the object being to release the coupling without the necessity of entering between the cars, and to cause them to automatically engage each oth'er when they come together; and the invention consists. in combining, with the bunter-head, a vertical slide carrying the coupling bolt, and a transverse bolt in connection with said slide, and a latch in connection with the bunter, so that when the slide is raisedthe said latch will hold it in its raised position until the bunter is pressed back, as by the cars coming together, which will throw outv the latch, and allow the slide and bolt to drop to engage the link, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the plat-form; B, the bunter or head of the coupling, its body C running back beneath, the car, and provided with a spring, in the usual manner for common linkconnections. D is the coupling-bolt, arranged in a vertical slide, E, guided by the head, and so as to be raised vertically to the position in Fig. l, to allow the link to be inserted,or dropped to the posit-ion in broken lines, Fig. l, for the bolt to enga-ge the link. This slide is in connection with a transverse bar, F, one end of which is hung to a vertical rod, G, so that, by raising or lowering the said rod G, the bolt D will be correspondingly raised or lowered. The connection of the slide with the rod is made by a bar, H, so that, as the bunter moves out or in, the slide will move with it without moving the bar F.V Lis a latch in connection with the bunter at any convenient point, extending out so as to support the rod Gr when raised, as in Fig. l; but when the bunter is pressed back, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 2, the latch is thrown from beneath the rod Gr, and the bolt is free to drop.

The cars are uncoupled by raising the rod G so as to pass over the latch L, and be held thereby. Then, when a'car with the link attachment approaches the car with the bolt raised, the link passes intothe coupler in the usual manner. The momentum of the cars forces the bunter back, disengaging the suspended rod G, which instantly falls, the bolt passing through the link, and coupling the cars together without the intervention or presence of any person.

To insure the freeing of the link from the bolt when disengaged, a follower, N, is arranged on the slide E, through which the bolt D passes, as seen in Fig. 4. Shoulder a on the slide E will raise the follower so soon as the bolt has passed from the link 5 but the follower will rest on the link, holding it down until the bolt has passed from it, and the shoulders a strike the link.

The parts are shown in broken lines, Fig. 4, as engaged with thelink d.

The latch may be arranged to engage the bar F directly, and dispense with the rod G.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of the coupling B C, latch L, slide E, bolt D, and bar F, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the coupling B C, latch L, slide E, bolt D, and bar F, the follower N, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

CHARLES H. BABCQCK.

Witnesses:

MILES BRADLEY, WILLIAM C. WEsTERFIELD. 

